


For The Mission

by orphan_account



Series: VLD RarePair Week 2019 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Awkward Sexual Situations, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), I don't plan to give this a very happy ending btw..., Implied Sexual Content, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, VLD RarePair Week 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-10-28 15:30:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20780891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tracking a small, dangerous faction of Empire-aligned Galra leads the Blade to an institution centred around ‘couple care’ — basically a fancy palace for the purpose of rejuvenating romantic relationships — and the only way in is to go undercover as… customers. And Keith and Regris lost the bet. Now, all they have to do is go in, do the ‘course’, and gather intel — no action required! But is it really that simple? Or is it going to become increasingly difficult for them to remember that they are there for the mission?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a multi-chaptered fic, I was in a rush to finish this and have yet to do so, so either way, this chapter is not finalised. The next chapter will be up before Halloween.  
For: VLD RarePair Week 2019 - Day 4: Fake Dating

Nearly four phoebs they'd been trying to get this faction of Galra. Nearly four, and now Kolivan is finally able to turn to them and say that they have a real shot at getting the intel they need.

The low-level rats that report back to the broader faction have taken up residence hiding away in a _resort_ of sorts — which means it's time to go undercover.

Kolivan stood before them, cold features focused on the images and footage in front of them, footage of the _resort_. "This institution houses collections of bonded partners and groups, and among them, Galra. Both hidden amongst the private staffing and among the guests, these are the scouts we're looking for." Profiles replaced the footage, some half a dozen in fact, of Galra enforcers, most fairly distinguishable, including one that bore a startling resemblance to Sendak in all but eyes and stature, the very sight had Keith taking a second glance to be sure.

"Now, we need at least two blades to go under to the institution; we will have no need to strike such cannon-fodder at a distinguished establishment like the resort, all we require is intel on their organisation, which we anticipate they will be using this institution to talk about within, as we were already aware of a few of their allies already residing within the private housing." Kolivan swept the room with his eyes, a move that always had Keith straightening his shoulders unconsciously.

"So, Leader, who shall we be sending in?" Antok inquired beside Kolivan, pulling his attention away from snapping the Blades' backs into correct posture.

"This institution specialises in the repairing of romantic relationships between any and all species — Galra do not frequent this resort much, however, so the more of our Blade that present as Galra that we send in the harder this mission will be, and we do _ not _ want any trouble." Those eyes landed on Keith once more, "So Keith will go." Of course, this mission was going to be his. "We just need one other Blade to go in order to qualify for their phoeb-long course, and with one already non-Galra presenting Blade, it is no bother who accompanies him."

After that, it was more just a matter of drawing a name from a hat — or hood, in this case — to determine who went with Keith. "Sucks to be you, Regris!"

"Yeah, boring intel for a month, man, that's gotta suck."

"At least you won't be busting your ass like us — basically a vacation ain't it?"

Regris walked up to stand beside Keith at attention in front of Kolivan, and all Keith could think was how relieved he was that he wouldn't be spending this mission with someone he wasn't comfortable with — Regris could always step down from the task, but he highly doubted he'd leave him to luck a second time when the mission appeared to be so easy.

*

After being briefed on their instructions for the mission alone, Kolivan allowed them time to go and discuss it. They would have only a few vargas before they would have to be on their way down. So Keith made his way out after the briefing with Regris on his tail, heading to the residential quarters aboard the base to ensure he had everything with him while they talked and changed out of their uniforms ready to leave. _ Everything _ was perhaps a pointless term though, as all they would be needing was their communicators — and not even their blades for emergencies due to the security checks they were going to face.

"What do you think?" Regris turned to Keith once they'd arrived, hoods and masks down, the Blades had taken to leaning loosely on their opposing side tables and bed frames.

"Of what?" Keith answered, his tone bordering on dead with how he could already sense the feeling of the boredom of intermission seeping into his very skin.

"This basically-a-vacation we just got saddled with." Regris' yellow eyes never left him as he appeared to start making odd faces suddenly reminiscent of Lance's many I-have-nothing-to-do looks.

Keith immediately had complaints, of course, "I'm already bored, and we haven't even started." A frustrated sigh left him, feeling like the comforting weight of _ purpose _ had just decided to up and leave him through his windpipe.

The unwanted discomfort only solidified at Regris' resounding chuckle. "Nice to know you'll be putting all of your heart and soul into selling our love story there, Keith." Goodness, just _ hearing _ that made Keith want to ask Kolivan to cancel the mission.

"Don't push it," was all he said instead.

"Sure thing, little one." Regris smirked, stepping forward to run a clawed hand quickly through Keith's bangs — an alarmingly _ Shiro _ gesture that had Keith feeling both comforted and near _assaulted_, so he settled for the latter and batted the arm away with a grimace.

Regris turned to leave, to do what, Keith didn't know. "Kit," he turned to Keith from the doorway, "you know we can't afford to be discovered there, right?" Regris' tone stopped the disgruntled puppy look on Keith's face dead in its tracks. "This faction is powerful, and with their loyalty to Zarkon coupled with their status; if they find us out, we'll either be dead or as good as." Keith swallowed. "So, once we set foot in there, we're together, got it?"

He didn't even have to think about his answer — this was about the mission after all — seemingly boring and vacation-like it may be, but it was going to be dangerous, they were going to have to _ sell _ it. For a whole phoeb. With _ absolutely _no mistakes.

"Got it."

And with that, Keith was watching that blue, spined tail dwindle out of sight past the doorframe.

*

_ We'll come to collect you at your discharge from the institution in a phoeb's time. _

Keith could see the beginnings of what appeared to be an enormous palace behind the checkpoint they were approaching, it looked to him like something out of Harry Potter but in bright, clean whites and pastels, almost reminiscent of the depictions of Olympus he'd seen in books and museums as a child.

_ If an emergency presents itself on your side of the mission, then send us an encrypted communication, but do not act or fight unless absolutely necessary — remember: the mission is far bigger than the individual, and we cannot afford for the faction to discover we are onto them. _

Stepping through, they were, of course, searched, but with nearly nothing on them aside from some clothing and communicators, they were quickly cleared to pass through. And then they were faced with the entrance to the opening reception hall.

_ Should an emergency arise on our side, we will send you a message in the event of the Blade's downfall and no other circumstance. _

Keith almost flinched away from the hand that grasped his own, quickly catching his reflexes before they could betray him at the first hurdle. Instead, he turned to face Regris — edging imperceptibly closer to him — and gave the smallest of nods, the mission's needs softened his features while determination simultaneously hardened his eyes.

_ You must maintain the illusion that you are merely a couple in need of reunification, for the sake of making it more convincing that means you can't pretend to be bitter with each other, that is not the sole purpose of this facility. _

They could already see the welcoming committee of staff in front of them at the entrance. Regris turned to Keith — his _ partner _still focused on him — and leaned down to press his lips to Keith's forehead lightly, the soft hair from his bangs smelling fresh from his recent shower.

_ They will expect you to be in love; they will expect you to be there because you want some time away together. _

Keith could already feel himself settling into his job for the next phoeb, and he silently thanked his self from an hour ago for settling the begrudged thoughts and feelings he was having about the mission into a locked box in the back of his mind. He — the _ Blade _ — couldn't afford for any mistakes to be made, he absolutely could not let his hot-headedness run this performance.

_ You have your files, and you've been briefed on your profiles, you are good to go. We're counting on you to make it out of this one with something we can use, so I implore you, do not lose sight of our goal. _

So, with a patient resolve Keith knew would make Shiro proud, he gripped Regris' hand in his own, and let himself fall in step with his partner. In step, right through the entrance hall.

_ Good luck. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep my promises.  
<3

Settling into this place proved to be more comfortable than Regris had first anticipated. The staff were indeed charming and left them mostly to their own devices rather than hovering; they came when called, but didn't overstay their welcome in the assigned rooms — of which the pair were given all three available options; a bedroom, bathroom and general living area. Regris almost felt some of the rigidity drain out of Keith when they'd entered, the young Blade finding comfort in the largely open — while still sectioned off — plan. Privacy without suffocation. If Keith seemed alright, then he already had an optimistic feeling about this mission.

Keith had long become a source of amusement to Regris when on missions — well, when anywhere. The boy had always appeared immature and too fiery to get things done right, but there was something profoundly satisfying about how he nearly consistently proved that assumption wrong when he worked. He'd seem too hot-headed for a mission, and end up turning out to be the perfect man for the job. But none of that stopped him from being a moron from time to time. Regris would come into the training room at his normal time to find Keith doing who-knows-what to himself in trying to get used to the Blade's training systems and how they differed to the Castleship's. A similar problem showing up when he sat down to eat with their hand soap filling his cup instead of their usual nutrient supplements because he couldn't tell the difference between the dispensers. This amusing aspect of Keith was making itself known now when he chose to flop onto the couch on the far side of the room instead of the bed — which was much closer — just so that he could avoid the feathery pillows that would probably clog his oesophagus should he have chosen to faceplant there.

Regris had decided to be useful and started putting away their clothing and complementary supplies issued to them from the staff — bathroom luxuries such as bath salts and packs of decorative petals included — while Keith got to know the couch's life story. He had finished putting away the pile of clothes they'd brought with them, moving on to the complementary clothing to finish setting up, when Keith decided he should probably get up and be helpful. He settled on watching Regris work from the couch when he realised standing would require more effort.

Once again, amusing. "You alright there, Keith?" Regris asked, a small smile gracing his features, reaching his eyes more than his mouth.

"Yeah, it's just— like," Keith seemed to have run out of words to use in his available vocabulary, as usual, "what do we do now?" And maybe Regris' vocabulary was just as limited because he couldn't seem to conjure up an appropriate answer other than a small, considering pout as his eyes unfocused into thought. "Do we, like, I dunno, go scouting for info yet? Or is it too soon to start snooping?"

Okay, that Regris could answer at least somewhat confidently, "Definitely too soon."

"So, what now?" Keith stood, finally deciding to be useful by walking over to grab a complimentary robe and hanging it up.

"Well, maybe we shouldn't risk getting caught snooping just yet, but we could still go out and use the facilities," Regris suggested after folding and putting away a surprisingly translucent complimentary robe made of a strange silk-like material. A robe that he decided immediately needed to be stuffed in the bottom-most drawer in the furthest dresser from the rest of the clothes he would be wearing during their stay.

"So, 'get comfy' is what you're telling me to do," Keith deadpanned.

The self-satisfied smile was back at home on Regris' face when he turned back to Keith. "Absolutely."

*

Regris deemed it necessary to 'use the facilities' after he came to the realisation he had to choose a two-movement course from the available options to complete in the time they would be spending there. He let Keith go off to take a look around using the digital map of the place — that he would later realise he did not have a second of — and made his way over to one of the many service desks to fill out everything they'd need to for the schedules and programs of their stay. With everything mandatory out of the way, it was time to seem like an actual couple that wanted to engage in the activities provided.

The attendant behind the desk greeted him warmly, and he went through the motions of looking through the leaflets for each of the courses they offered. He didn't care much for any of the options, so instead of analysing their content, he settled on one that seemed to have more limited content. Less of the plentiful little activities, and more instead of the fewer but extensive sessions, while still being careful to avoid any that listed the inclusion of 'vocal therapy' — which the attendant informed him basically meant couples' counselling.

Regris finished filling in checkboxes on the datapad given to him and was handed an electronic schedule of their stay there catering to the preferences he was asked to list. The two-movement course would start in 6 quintants, and they had two spa-style sessions booked in on separate days in the meantime. The final movement was left blank as de rigueur by the institution as a way of giving them some allocated 'privacy' after completing the course. Nothing was set for the rest of that quintant, nor the next, and the attendant encouraged Regris to 'explore' with his 'partner', so, that was precisely what he would do.

If Keith was anywhere in sight.

*

The institution was a lot larger than Keith had initially thought. Each massive communal room had at least ten open corridors leading to other respective rooms, wings and a whole assortment of other facilities. Keith had seen half a dozen spas already, as well as multiple gardens showcasing every colour he could imagine surrounding partners and groups of all kinds. There were swimming areas — not to be confused with the distinctly different bathing areas which Keith was now  _ definitely  _ aware of. He'd passed sizeable communal dining halls as well as quieter, more intimate restaurants that held candlelit scenes of all kinds, Keith had already witnessed one or two of what he could only assume were proposals through the floor to ceiling windows. That was another thing Keith had initially underestimated: how open everything was. More than half of the walls were windows or mirrors to give the illusion of openness — although Keith suspected that wasn't exactly the purpose of mirrors he'd seen on the ceilings of some more closed-off rooms. And even though it gave off the initial feeling of exposure, there was always a room nearby that held the same purpose but with more privacy.

To say it was a bit jarring to Keith would be putting it lightly. If it weren't for the datapad he was using to navigate, he would probably never find his way back.

"Can I help you?" Keith snapped his head to the attendant standing not a metre away from him, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "You haven't lost your significant other or others, have you?" they asked.

Keith looked around like a deer in headlights before turning back to the attendant. "Oh... I— uh, I suppose I have. He was filling in some information, and I, well, I wandered off, heh." He reached a hand to the back of his neck and ran his fingertips over his spine; maybe if he counts the notches, he won't have to keep talking.

"Well, if you'd like, I can input your room number into the system and check which information desk you're logged in to, it might tell us where he is, and if he's not still there, then I can enlist the staff at that desk to help!" Their peppiness was giving Keith a strange feeling of familiarity, and he found himself complying.

No time at all later and Keith was told that his 'partner' had just left the information desk to go and look around. Keith decided it was probably best to just go and wait for him in their room, but before he could head back in that direction, the attendant caught Keith one last time.

"To avoid this situation for the duration of your stay, we can offer you complimentary rings to contact and find each other while you're here," they said, their enthusiasm still seemingly at 100%.

"You mean, like... tracking rings?" Keith asked, the thought simultaneously chilling and oddly comforting.

"Only with both parties' consent! And only the connected rings will know where the other is, we have no way of monitoring them, for your privacy." The implication was already seated in Keith's mind. But.

"I— uh, I'll look into that."

*

Keith quickly realised just how boring this mission was going to be. Sat in their room, waiting for Regris, was perhaps not the most fun use of his time. The complimentary pouch in his hand from the attendant felt heavy, but not in weight, seemingly more so from the implications it held in Keith's mind; like they were too much for the pair of them but still felt rather nice to have. It didn't matter either way — if Regris thought they were a good idea, then they'd use them, if not, then no harm done.

One good thing came from that run around though. And Keith took this moment to smile to himself, happy with his observational skills, and caught himself almost anticipating a hearty pat on the back from Shiro or Hunk for it.

He saw one of their targets. And, even better, which room they signed into,  _ and  _ the associates they were with.

Keith laid the pouch on his thighs, looking up and out of the glossy, floor-to-ceiling window, down at the fresh, wet garden just barely visible beyond their small balcony. This was a nice room, and if this mission dragging meant spending quite some time in it, then Keith wouldn't complain.

After all, things were already looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like things are looking up.
> 
> The next chapter will be up before Christmas. And it will most likely be a tad bit longer.


End file.
